Silk Talons
by ginalcelah
Summary: The ongoing story of Ginal Celah (Jih-nahl Chay-lah) as she faces adventure, self discovery and self acceptance in a world of magic and monsters.


Dawn was barely breaking as the leanly built miqo'te woman jumped and spun about, just outside the gates of Gridania. She bathed in the still needed torchlight, sweeping and thrusting her lance about as she sparred with the shadows of the trees and hills of the Shroud, while the spikes of her red hair bounced with every movement.

_A new home._

She paused her mock battle to lean over a tall stone, panting as sweat dripped down her face.

_A new chance._

She turned on her heel and threw her lance as a javelin, impaling a nearby tree. She crouched in a fighting stance as she displayed her canines, her open fists showing her sharp, clawlike nails. Through tumbles and flips, she growled defiantly at her imagined foes, sweeping her hands to slash at the air.

_A new life. May the Twelve have mercy on me...just grant me some peace._

"Your form is already improving," came a low pitched voice, almost commanding in its' tone. "You've only been training within the guild for two weeks, and you're already beyond a novice level. Keep it up, Celah."

A tall and muscular hyur man leaned against a tree, the horns and spines of his otherwise smoothly crafted dark armor marking him as an elite dragoon. The young looking woman approached him with her lance resting on her shoulder. "Do you sleep in that armor? I've never seen you without it." She giggled as she jabbed at his chest plate with her finger. "You're right though, I am getting quite good at this, aren't I? You'll have a lot to learn from me soon enough." She flashed a playful grin as she strode toward the city gate. "Come on, Grez. Breakfast is on you!"

The hint of a smile formed on Grezel's lips, "It always is..."

Ginal strode into the main hall of the Carline Canopy. Her ragged exercise clothing now replaced by studded leather boots, gauntlets and chest piece, with a simple skirt rounding out her outfit. She made her way to the bar where Grezel was waiting, and gave the young elezen man tending the bar a soft smile and quick bat of her eye lashes. "Good morning, handsome. You remember my favorite plate by now, right?" The elezen chuckled to himself as he stepped away to the kitchen.

"You have a big day ahead of you, Celah. Master Ywain is likely going to put you through your first trial." Grezel leaned against the bar, arms folded and head tilted down in what Ginal now believed his only stance. Ginal leaned herself against the bar and imitated the hyur man's stance. "Yes, of course." She spoke in a caricatured imitation of his voice, "And not once shall I speak of non serious matters." A small smirk briefly forms on the hyur's face, "Very well, what do you wish to talk about?"

Ginal unfolded her arms and noticed a mid 20's looking miqo'te male eyeing her from a table. She found the small but visible scar on his cheek strangely cute. A playful grin formed on her lips as she turned to lean against the bar tilting her hips and arching her back in just the right way to allow her skirt to show the entirety of her legs, and just barely stopping there. She glanced over her shoulder at the man and winked. The miqo'te man's face flushed bright red as he turned his stool to not only avert his gaze, but to turn his lap away from her.

"If you'd focus on your lance as much as you focus on your flirting, you'd rival the lancer elite within a month," Grezel stated, his tone turning from mentoring to chastising. Ginal straightened and sighed, giving the dragoon a half frown. "Let me have my fun, Grez. I'm not hurting anyone." She glanced back at the bashful miqo'te, "Besides..." her voice was low as her words trailed off in a whisper, "I like it when they look at me like that..."

_Just let me have this._

A half hour later, after Ginal had eaten her fill and Grezel proved once again that he was sustained by stoicism, she hefted her lance over her shoulder and gave her friend a warm and genuine smile. "Thank you, Grez. Now, I'm off! I do have a big day ahead, as you said." She took her time, enjoying a casual stroll through the tree lined roads toward Old Gridania.

She stood in the Lancer's training hall, surrounded by foes. The blunt end of Ginal's lance met the midsection of another lancer trainee, some lalafell girl Ginal didn't know, forcing her to double over. Master Ywain had taken a special interest in Ginal over that last two weeks, and as Grezel said, decided to put Ginal through her first trial. This trial, though, strayed from the norm that Ywain put his students through. "You are vicious and agressive, "He had told her. "Indeed, you are a ferocious warrior, but that will only carry you so far. You need composure of self and a determined will to persevere through lengthy engagements." She faced forward and twirled her lance to deflect the blade end of another trainee's attack. "You have neither. I've seen you start strong, and then fade. Something takes hold of you, and you almost always lose your edge."

Ginal's trial was to stay on her feet through three hours of continuous combat with the other trainees. If she could find the composure and resolve she needed, she'd pass and Ywain would continue her training. She was beyond tired, and muscles she didn't realize she had ached all over her body. It had only been an hour. She side stepped an attacker's thrust, and swept her lance at his ankle to trip him. She realized at this moment, that she didn't have what it took to continue. She was going to give in.

A light skinned hyur woman stood beside Guildmaster Ywain, resting her head on her fist as she watched the miqo'te girl. "It isn't her form that needs work. Not her aggression, either." she commented knowingly. "I'd say you're right, Ywain. Something is in her heart that holds her back. Is that...doubt? Fear, perhaps? Can you see it in her eyes as well?" Ywain silently nodded. The hyur woman turned to Ywain, "She won't make it much further, and certainly not to three hours. How about this: have her face me, no holds barred, and we'll determine if she's ready to advance her training by how she handles me, hm?" Ywain stood for a moment in consideration, then looked to the woman and nodded.

"Enough!" called the Guildmaster, and at once the trainees halted and stood at attention. Ywain approached the near exhausted Ginal and clasped her shoulders. "Last minute change: you'll be forgoing the next two hours to fight her, instead." Ginal was immediately taken aback when she looked upon the hyur woman. It wasn't her outfit, though that the woman was wearing what could only be described as some sort of plate mail crafted bikini and matching tiara was certainly not helping. It was that the woman radiated confidence. Her posture, her stride, that half smirk and that glimmer in her eyes. A blush took hold of her face as Ginal immediately felt small and insignificant in this woman's presence.

_Who is this woman?_

"This is Selah Phocina, "the Guildmaster explained. "She used to be one of my best students, and has since joined the ranks of the elite dragoons. If you can best her, and only her, then you pass your trial." The miqo'te looked upon this Selah and slowly nodded. "I, erm, like your hair." was all she could stammer out. The redheaded hyur laughed softly as she reached up to pat at her short cut hair, the bangs messily swept back over the top oh her head, "Well, thank you Miss Celah."

Ginal shook off her embarrassment and assumed a ready stance, lance forward. "Ginal, look at me." Selah commanded. "You can do this. You have what it takes." Ginal met the hyur's eyes, and saw something different than the moment before. The confidence wasn't what the woman felt for herself, it was what she felt for Ginal.

_She...believes in me?_

Before she realized, her opponent was almost on top of her, and Ginal could barely bring her lance up in time to lock blades. The woman spun around Ginal and took hold of her tail, giving it a hard tug that forced a shriek of pain from the struggling miqo'te. Ginal's eyes flashed angrily at her foe as the taller woman sprang back. "I wondered how much that would hurt." she mocked. The smirk on her face faded as she locked her eyes with Ginal, "Hold that anger where it is." Ginal grimaced and stepped forward quickly, trying for a feint thrust and spinning herself around the flank the hyur woman, aiming the blunt end of her lance at Selah's exposed midsection. The woman simply side stepped and pulled Ginal forward by her weapon, following through with a back handed slap across Ginal's cheek.

_You bitch!_

Ginal wrapped her hands tightly around her weapon, visibly trembling in anger as a low growl escaped her throat. "Good, you're mad. Force it down!" Selah again spoke as an authority.

_Shut your mouth!_

Ginal hissed angrily and leaped forward, dropping her lance and wildly slashing with her nails at the woman. "I'll ruin that pretty body of yours!" She cried out. Selah smirked as she ducked and dodged the assault, "Oh, you think I'm pretty?" Ginal stopped and shook her head rapidly, "Stop mocking me, damnit!" The hyur woman leaned forward to ensure she had Ginal's gaze. "Ginal! Look at me!" The mixture of compassion and confidence in the hyur's gaze held Ginal's attention. "Force it down. Control it, don't be controlled."

_You're trying to help me?_

Ginal drew in a deep breath and shook her head, and felt the anger slowly subsiding. She was finally able to regain her composure. The hyur woman nodded knowingly to her, and Ginal retrieved her weapon. She assumed a ready stance.

_Thank you...I think._

Some blurred movement, some brief pain in her midsection, and then Ginal lay on her back starring up at the lance at her throat. Selah laughed softly at her opponent, "I'm a dragoon, dear. Been at this much longer than you. You really never stood a chance." She offered a hand and pulled Ginal to her feet. "What do you think, Ywain?" Selah asked of the Guildmaster. The older man stepped up to Ginal and clasped her shoulders, "Did you finally learn how to control your aggression, Celah?" The miqo'te looked down to gather her thoughts, then met his gaze again and nodded. "I'll need to work on it, but...yes, I finally understand."

The Guildmaster smiled at Selah, "Then your trial is passed. I want you here at dawn tomorrow, we begin training in new techniques."

_I did it?_

"I'm sure I'll see you around soon enough" Selah Phocina said to Ginal, offering a genuine smile as she made her way out of the training hall. She stopped at the door to look back, "Welcome to the Lancer's Guild, kitten. Do us proud." Ginal titled her head and quirked a brow, "What a strange woman..."

Into the evening, Ginal sat on the balcony of her rented room, hugging her legs as she trailed her eyes across the stars.

_A new life. Twelve help me...I think I'm in over my head already._


End file.
